Chapter 77: The Jewelry District Part 2

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: The Jewelry District Part 2

The growling stopped.

Every zombie on the street turned toward them at the exact same moment.

Then they charged.

The distance between them disappeared far faster than Ben had expected.

"They’re coming!" he shouted.

"They’ve been coming," Killian replied calmly. "Move!"

Killian slammed the truck door shut behind him and sprinted toward the jewelry store without looking back. Erik immediately matched his pace, placing himself on the opposite side of the street. The two men naturally spread apart, forcing the first wave of zombies to divide their attention.

"Stay between us!" Erik shouted.

Penelope grabbed Ben by the sleeve before he could freeze in place and shoved him forward.

"Run!"

The five of them moved as one.

They had trained together for three months.

Every drill.

Every spar.

Every lesson.

This was what those months had been preparing them for.

The first zombie reached Killian.

It lunged with both arms stretched toward his throat.

Killian didn’t slow down.

He sidestepped the attack, planted one hand against the zombie’s shoulder, and drove the machete into the side of its skull in a single fluid motion. Before the corpse even hit the ground, he had already pulled the blade free and continued running.

"There isn’t time to admire your work!" he called out.

"Keep moving!"

A second zombie stumbled toward Erik.

Erik ducked beneath its outstretched arms, pivoted on his heel, and buried his hunting knife through the creature’s temple. Using the zombie’s falling body as a shield, he shoved it into another infected, buying the group another precious second.

"Don’t stop!" he barked.

Kai intercepted a third zombie before it reached Ben.

His machete carved across the zombie’s neck.

The blade bit deep but failed to sever the spine.

The zombie continued reaching.

"...Well, that’s horrifying," Kai muttered.

Without missing another step, he reversed his grip and drove the machete downward through the top of its skull.

Only then did it collapse.

Ben stared.

"Kai!"

"Eyes forward!"

Kai pointed ahead without turning around.

"If you look at me, you’ll miss the one trying to eat you."

Ben’s heart nearly stopped.

A zombie had broken away from the group and was less than two meters away.

It reached for him.

Instinct took over.

Ben stumbled backward, narrowly avoiding its grasp before swinging the machete with both hands.

The blade struck the zombie’s shoulder.

Not enough.

The creature lurched forward again.

Ben remembered Erik’s words.

Aim for the head.

He planted his feet.

Ignored the trembling in his arms.

And swung again.

The machete split through the zombie’s temple.

The body collapsed almost at his feet.

Ben stood frozen.

His breathing became ragged.

"I..."

"You can panic later!" Penelope shouted as she slammed her shoulder into him, knocking him out of the path of another zombie.

The infected crashed into the pavement where Ben had been standing only a heartbeat earlier.

Penelope immediately brought her own machete down with both hands.

The blade struck bone.

She gritted her teeth and forced it deeper.

The zombie finally stopped moving.

She yanked the weapon free.

Blood splattered across the pavement.

Across her gloves.

Across the sleeves of her jacket.

There was no time to think about it.

"Fifteen meters!" Killian shouted.

The jewelry store entrance was directly ahead.

Unfortunately, so were more zombies.

Three security guards wearing torn black uniforms staggered out through the shattered revolving doors.

Each still wore an identification badge clipped to their chest.

Each still clutched a flashlight.

Ben swallowed.

"They worked here..."

"They worked here this morning," Erik corrected.

"Now they’re obstacles."

One of the guards suddenly sprinted.

Not because it was faster than the others.

Because it had less distance to cover.

Killian met it head-on.

Their bodies collided with enough force to knock the zombie backward.

Before it could recover, Killian buried the machete through its eye socket.

He twisted.

Pulled.

Stepped over the falling body without breaking stride.

"Ten meters!"

The pounding of dozens of footsteps echoed behind them.

Not human footsteps.

The dead were closing in.

Kai risked one glance over his shoulder.

"...Killian."

"I know."

"There are a lot more than thirty-two now."

"I know."

The growling grew louder.

Every scream from the surrounding streets.

Every blaring alarm.

Every revving engine.

It had all been drawing more of them toward the district.

The five survivors were no longer racing thirty-two zombies.

They were racing the entire city.

Every blaring alarm.

Every revving engine.

It had all been drawing more of them toward the district.

The five survivors were no longer racing thirty-two zombies.

They were racing the entire city.

"Formation!" Erik shouted.

Without hesitation, everyone shifted into the positions they had practiced hundreds of times inside Penelope’s space.

Killian immediately took the lead.

Erik moved to his right.

Penelope stepped into the center, keeping Ben close enough to reach him if necessary.

Kai fell behind them, becoming their rear guard.

The moment they slowed, the zombies caught up.

The first one reached Killian with both arms stretched toward his neck.

Killian pivoted to the side, avoiding the grasp by mere inches before driving his machete into the zombie’s temple. He didn’t stop to watch it fall. The blade came free in one smooth motion as he stepped over the collapsing body and continued forward.

Another zombie lunged at Erik.

Instead of retreating, Erik stepped toward it.

His shoulder crashed into the creature’s chest, throwing it off balance. Before it could recover, his hunting knife pierced straight through its eye socket. He twisted the blade once before pulling it free and kicking the corpse into another approaching zombie.

The two bodies crashed together, briefly blocking the narrow path between the abandoned luxury cars.

"Move!" Erik ordered.

Kai intercepted a woman wearing what had once been an expensive business suit. She reached for his face with blood-covered hands, her jaw snapping wildly as she stumbled toward him.

"I’m sorry about this," Kai muttered.

His machete flashed through the air.

The first strike lodged itself in the woman’s forehead.

"...You’re kidding me."

The zombie continued reaching.

Kai planted one boot against her stomach and shoved her backward, wrenching the blade free before swinging again.

The second strike split through her skull.

She collapsed at his feet.

Kai didn’t celebrate.

He simply backed away before another pair of zombies could surround him.

Behind them, Ben’s breathing had become uneven.

His eyes darted from one infected to another.

There were too many.

Every direction he looked, another zombie seemed to emerge from between the abandoned vehicles.

"Ben!"

Penelope’s voice snapped him back to reality.

A zombie had wandered within arm’s reach without him noticing.

Ben instinctively raised the machete.

The blade struck the creature’s shoulder.

The zombie barely reacted.

It continued reaching for him.

"Head!" Penelope shouted.

Ben adjusted his grip.

He remembered Ethan.

He remembered Jason.

Neither of them had awakened powers.

Neither of them had military training.

Yet both of them had chosen to survive.

Ben took one step forward instead of backward and swung with everything he had.

The machete struck the zombie’s temple with a loud crack.

The creature collapsed.

Ben stood frozen.

His chest rose and fell rapidly.

"I did it..."

"You did," Penelope answered, stepping in front of him just as another zombie lunged from the side.

Her machete intercepted its arm before the creature could reach Ben. She spun with the momentum of the swing and drove her knee into its chest, knocking it backward into the hood of a nearby sports car.

The impact set off the vehicle’s alarm.

A shrill siren exploded through the street.

Everyone stopped.

Even the zombies nearest them paused for the briefest moment.

Then growls erupted from every direction.

Killian’s expression hardened.

"...Keep moving."

There wasn’t a trace of panic in his voice.

Only urgency.